2025 Alaska wildfires


The 2025 Alaska wildfires are a series of active wildfires currently ongoing in Alaska.

Background

Alaska’s wildfire season is primarily driven by its boreal forest and tundra ecosystems, which can dry rapidly during the long summer days. The core fire season generally runs from late May through early August, peaking in June and July when extended daylight, low humidity, and warm temperatures combine with lightning activity to spark large fires. Many of the state’s largest recorded wildfires have occurred during this midsummer window.
In interior Alaska, lightning-caused wildfires dominate, often in remote areas where suppression efforts are focused on protecting communities and infrastructure rather than full containment. In contrast, coastal regions see fewer large fires due to higher humidity and more frequent rainfall.
While most wildfire activity is concentrated in summer, fires can occur as early as April or as late as September during unusually dry years. The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection issues burn permits for open debris burning from April 1 through August 31 in much of the state, with temporary suspensions during periods of high fire danger.

Summary

By the end of spring, the total area burned by wildfires in Alaska was approximately —well above the state’s five-year spring average. Much of the early activity occurred across the Interior and Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, where unusually warm temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds fueled fast-moving tundra and boreal forest fires.
The first fatality of the 2025 Alaska fire season was reported on July 4, when a pilot conducting reconnaissance for fire mapping was killed after a small plane crash near Nenana.
Throughout July, extreme heat and thunderstorms across central Alaska drove rapid fire growth. The Tanana Complex and Ray River Fire each burned tens of thousands of acres within a week, producing heavy smoke impacts from Fairbanks to Anchorage. By July 31, more than had burned statewide—making 2025 Alaska’s most active season since 2022.
Fire activity eased slightly in early August, aided by cooler, wetter weather across the western Interior. However, late-month lightning storms reignited fire growth in the Nowitna and Hodzana regions, with dozens of new ignitions recorded on August 28–30.
By mid-September, cooler temperatures and widespread rain brought an effective end to large fire activity across most of the state. The 2025 Alaska wildfire season has so far burned an estimated 1.68 million acres roughly double the 10-year average—with limited structural loss but significant smoke and ecological impacts across interior tundra and boreal ecosystems.

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than, produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.
NameCountyAcresStart dateContainment dateNotes/References
KathulSoutheast Fairbanks25 5 202511 6 2025
OskawalikBethel14 6 20256 7 2025
CaribouYukon-Koyukuk15 6 20252 8 2025Caused by lightning.
HogatzaYukon-Koyukuk16 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Kawichiark 1Northwest Arctic16 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Kawichiark 2Northwest Arctic16 6 2025Caused by lightning.
TelidasideYukon-Koyukuk16 6 2025
ChickenYukon-Koyukuk16 6 2025Caused by lightning.
TetilesookNorthwest Arctic16 6 2025Caused by lightning.
TagagawikYukon-Koyukuk17 6 2025Caused by lightning.
WolfYukon-Koyukuk17 6 2025Caused by lightning.
ObrienYukon-Koyukuk17 6 2025Caused by lightning.
HelpMeJackYukon-Koyukuk17 6 2025Caused by lightning.
ChabanikaYukon-Koyukuk17 6 2025Caused by lightning.
KalusukNorthwest Arctic17 6 2025Caused by lightning.
KlikhtentotznaYukon-Koyukuk17 6 2025Caused by lightning.
KandikSoutheast Fairbanks18 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Meadow CreekYukon-Koyukuk18 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Kechumstuk CreekSoutheast Fairbanks18 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Boulder CreekFairbanks North Star18 6 2025Caused by lightning.
OrumYukon-Koyukuk18 6 2025Caused by lightning.
LushYukon-Koyukuk18 6 2025
WilliamsYukon-Koyukuk18 6 2025Caused by lightning.
AniralikNorthwest Arctic19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Twelvemile LakeSoutheast Fairbanks19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Ricks CreekFairbanks North Star19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
NinetyeightFairbanks North Star19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Himalaya RoadFairbanks North Star19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Bear CreekDenali19 6 2025Caused by lightning. 9 reported residences destroyed.
MoranYukon-Koyukuk19 6 2025
Bonnifield CreekDenali19 6 2025Caused by lightning. 6 reported residences destroyed.
Bonanza CreekFairbanks North Star19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Nelchina GlacierMatanuska-Susitna19 6 2025
7 Mile LookoutSoutheast Fairbanks19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
SusulatnaYukon-Koyukuk19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
NowitnaYukon-Koyukuk19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
ElephantYukon-Koyukuk19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
RedYukon-Koyukuk19 6 2025Caused by lightning.
IkheenjikYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025
TurtleYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025
MoldyYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
McArthur CreekSoutheast Fairbanks20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
RidgelineSoutheast Fairbanks20 6 2025
River TrailSoutheast Fairbanks20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
PorphyrySoutheast Fairbanks20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
TakomaYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
BirchYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Goldstream CreekYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025
Saint George CreekDenali20 6 2025Caused by lightning. 4 reported residences destroyed.
Fish LakeCopper River20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Buckley BarYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Dry CreekDenali20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Aggie CreekFairbanks North Star20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Live TrapDenali20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
ChristianYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
MichiganYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Salmon TroutYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Susulatna HillsYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Pilot CreekYukon-Koyukuk20 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Sand LakeSoutheast Fairbanks21 6 2025
YellowYukon-Koyukuk21 6 2025Caused by lightning.
KeruluNorthwest Arctic21 6 2025Caused by lightning.
IkpikpukNorth Slope22 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Monte Cristo CreekFairbanks North Star22 6 2025Caused by lightning.
Three CastleSoutheast Fairbanks23 6 2025Caused by lightning.
RuntYukon-Koyukuk23 6 2025Caused by lightning.
MaunelukNorthwest Arctic25 6 2025Caused by lightning.
TsukonYukon-Koyukuk4 7 2025Caused by lightning.
WheelerYukon-Koyukuk7 7 2025Caused by lightning.
PortageYukon-Koyukuk7 7 2025Caused by lightning.
KaligurichearkNorthwest Arctic7 7 2025Caused by lightning.
NunaNorthwest Arctic7 7 2025Caused by lightning.
ReedNorthwest Arctic9 7 2025Caused by lightning.